Welcome to Meteorological Spring! What will it hold?

Written by Meteorologist Mary Wasson

Last updated 2/27/2025, 12:48:11 PM

Welcome to Meteorological Spring in the Northern Hemisphere with the official start of spring, or the Vernal Equinox, only a few weeks away on Monday, March 20th.   

What can we expect for this year? 

According to the National Weather Service and the Climate Prediction Center, the El Nino Southern Oscillation is showing weak La Nina conditions, the cooling phase, which will stick around through March.  However, in April and May, forecasts show a 66% chance of a transition to ENSO-neutral. 

While ENSO neutral refers to periods when neither El Niño nor La Niña conditions are present. During this phase, the climate is stable without the pronounced warming or cooling effects and the ocean temperatures in the Pacific are near their average.

The Climate Prediction Center has just released its Spring Outlook, which predicts below-normal temperatures for the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies. In contrast, warmer-than-normal conditions are expected for the desert Southwest, Southern Plains, southeastern U.S., and the East Coast. 

Additionally, a drier-than-normal weather pattern is forecasted for the desert Southwest, Texas, Central Plains, and Florida. Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest, Great Lakes, and Ohio Valley are expected to experience wetter-than-normal conditions.

What does the Farmer’s Almanac say?

The National Weather Service (NWS) climate scientists develop future climate forecasts based on current patterns in the ocean and atmosphere, climate trends, and historical records. In contrast, the Farmer's Almanac relies on solar science, climatology, and meteorology. It compares temperature and precipitation levels to historical averages.

With that said, the solar cycle could play a role in weather this spring.

“We are moving deeper into Solar Cycle 25, which is expected to reach its maximum around July 2025. High solar activity levels have historically been linked to warmer temperatures, on average, across Earth, although this relationship has become weaker in recent decades,” the Farmer’s Almanac wrote in their Spring 2025 outlook.

They also wrote that a relatively active severe weather season is expected, with the potential for damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes—especially in the Deep South, which is forecast to see a wetter-than-normal spring and more frequent thunderstorms.

If you are wanting to see some late-season snowflakes, outside of the mountains, you could be lucky across the Lower Great Lakes, an area that may experience chillier weather during April.

Graphic provided by: Farmer's Almanac https://www.almanac.com/spring-weather-forecast